All for a Good Cause
by bbwriter
Summary: Eddie likes dogs, Richie happens to be walking one. One thing leads to another and suddenly they are tangled in a leash of lies that keep bringing them closer together. Lot's of fluff, and eventually smut because that's fun okay? also stenbrough and benverly will make an appearence, mike is gonna be there too because i'm not a horrible person. But i'm a slut for reddie.
1. Chapter one: lies

Eddie Kaspbrak doesn't like lying. It makes his asthma act up, and then he turns red, and gets wheezy. It's never, ever, ever, ends well when he lies. So Eddie doesn't know why he lied to this stranger, or why he seemed so eager to please him. Yet here he was on his way to Bill's dorm off to go beg him for help in making his lie become true.

Eddie met the boy while trying to do homework in the quad. Usually sitting outside while trying to focus on school resulted in hives from both grass and stress, but today the sky was cloudy so Eddie couldn't have possibly run the risk of sunburn. He sat under his favorite tree, and cracked open his current events reading for his business class. When suddenly his book was out of his hands and a big black blur was running by followed by a boy in glasses yelling after the ball of fuzz.

"Ember!" The boy with glasses gasped, "please, god, please. Stop running."

Eddie looked up at the poor boy, his face was flushed from the exercise and his glasses were sliding down his nose. His eyes were a soft hazel, and his black hair was messy and curly. A good messy, the kind that looked as thought he had spent hours making it look like that. He was wearing a hawaiian shirt, colored shorts and socks with his sandals. Eddie thought if he let him borrow his fanny pack he'd look like a dad on vacation.

"Excuse me?" He said.

Eddie snapped out of his shocked, and officially made eye contact of the owner of the animal who had stolen his 120$ textbook.

"You gonna help me catch my dog?"

Eddie scrambled off the ground and spinned in a full circle scanning the quad for the dog and his textbook. Once spotting the animal, Eddie knelt to the ground and whistled. The beast's ears perked right up and ran towards Eddie, dropping his book before pouncing on him. Once he was fully pinned by the animal, and his face attacked by her tongue her owner finally decided to weigh in on the matter.

"Wow, okay so she doesn't listen to me that well," he ran a hand in his hair, almost ashamed of himself, "Ember has a mind of her own sometimes."

"That's okay," Eddie said. "My mom wouldn't let me around dogs much as a kid, but now i'll do whatever i can to see them. They're kinda gross, and smelly. But, they just want love and attention like the rest of us, don't you girl?" Ember responded to Eddie's question by again licking him and wagging her tail in agreement.

"I'm Richie by the way," the stranger stuck his hand out for Eddie.

Eddie reached for his hand, not expecting to be pulled up off the ground, and introduced himself. "I'm Eddie, Kaspbrak." He mumbled. "Just Eddie, really." While on the ground Eddie hadn't realized how much taller than him Richie was, it wasn't a full head, but when staring straight at him Eddie's eye were right on Richie's collarbone.

"Well Ed's, I gotta get going," Richie said while wrestling with Ember for her leash, "but it was great to meet ya, hopefully i'll see you around?"

"Wait!" The word was out of Eddie's mouth before he knew what he was gonna say next. "What kinda dog is Ember?"

Richie smiled, "We aren't really sure, because we adopted her from a shelter, but she's black and curly so we think she has some poodle but…"

Eddie had already noticed Richie liked talking, and was really glad he found something to distract him with while he came up with a plan. He needed to see Richie again, but he also needed a really good reason to.

"... Ya know she really like fetch so she could also be a retriever, not golden obviously, because she's black but..." Richie kept talking without missing a beat, not even noticing Eddie had yet to respond.

"Well i'm hosting a charity dog wash, this friday." The lie flew out of Eddie's mouth so easily it very well could have been true. "Maybe you can stop by, and help out or just bring Ember by."

Richie then did something he doesn't do very often. He stopped talking. Richie hadn't realized this conversation with Eddie might lead to something more than just this interaction in the quad. He suddenly noticed the smaller boy's wavy brown hair, and nose lightly dusted with freckles. Richie then decided he was going to do something he was rather good at, he was going to lie. Because at this point confessing that he was only watching his roommate's dog while she was with her boyfriend was just too much, and explaining that he doesn't really like dogs, especially wet ones. Was going to be too much information. Plus, he really wanted to see Ed's again.

"I'd love to!" Richie smiled, thinking to himself "you liar." He reached in his pocket for his phone, and handed it to Eddie saying "Here, give me your number, and I'll text you so you can give me more details?"

Eddie, suddenly a deep shade of red realizing he suddenly had to create a charity dog wash, grabbed Richie's phone and put his number in it. Not saying a word.

Richie smiled back at him and started walking away, yelling "See ya later Eddie Spaghetti!" followed by a wink.


	2. Chapter 2: what friends are for

Richie burst into the apartment he shared with his roommate Beverly and her boyfriend Ben.

"Guys! Stop sucking face I need help!" Richie yelled, and watched them make no sudden movements to stop making out. Left with no choice Richie released Ember and let the puppy attack her humans, her real humans.

"Beep beep, Richie." Bev said as she wiped spit off her face. Whether it was Ben's or the dog's was unknown to Richie. Usually he'd make a comment about it, but he currently had bigger issues to deal with in the form of an adorable guy named Eddie.

"This is not what I meant when I said 'Can you walk Ember so I can have some alone time with Ben.'" said Beverly while giving Richie a look he was used to seeing from his mother. Not his best friend.

"Okay well I saw a boy, and I didn't know what to say anymore, so I panicked and told him I needed to go home okay?" Richie said, his face flushed from the memory of his interaction with Eddie.

"What's this? Richie? Speechless?" Ben laughed from the couch, "It must take a special person to do that to you, I've been trying to get you to shut up for years." Ben was still pinned underneath Ember. The dog had been his gift to Beverly for one of their anniversaries, Richie had talked him out of proposing and convinced him to get a puppy instead. He was starting to regret that choice.

"This boy was different, okay?" Richie sighed, "He knew exactly how to tame Ember, and he wasn't scared when she attacked him. But, talking to me made him look like he's pass out right there. Yet, he was sweet and nice and.. Oh my god i haven't texted him yet!"

"Wait, you're telling me that he gave you his number, willingly, and you haven't used it yet?" Beverly asked, shocked by the current behavior Richie was exhibiting, "You really are flustered by this kid."

At this Richie didn't know how to respond. He knew the flamboyant-carefree-ditzy persona he put on was faltering. But, for the first time in his life he didn't actually mind being vulnerable. In his ridiculously short conversation with Eddie he had felt safe. Something Richie wasn't used to.

"He's running a dog wash and just wants me to help out, it isn't a big deal, Bev." Richie said. Hoping not only to convince Beverly, but himself too.

Meanwhile across the college campus Eddie was sucking on his inhaler like his life depended on it. Which, it really didn't. His roommate Stanley Uris, who had been looking at a spectacular cardinal in the tree outside his dorm, was almost as startled as the bird when Eddie walked into the room holding a torn up textbook and panting.

"Can't… find… inhaler" Eddie wheezed as he planted himself on his lower bunk. Stan realizing the importance of the situation, put down his bird watching book and went to help eddie search his backpack.

Which is where they were currently found. Stan kneeling by Eddie as he sucked on his inhaler.

"So," Stan started tentatively, "do you wanna talk about what happened?"

Eddie got "asthma" attacks like this alot. Something would happen and then all of a sudden Eddie couldn't breathe. Most of the time the event wasn't a physical happening, but just something that caused him a good amount of stress. Stanley had known Eddie since they were in about middle school, it had been so long Stan didn't really remember exactly how long it had been. But, Stanley was pretty sure Eddie's asthma was just anxiety. He tried to mention it to Mrs. Kasprak once but she went on such a fit of hysterics she didn't let Eddie out of her house for a full month.

"I met someone." Gasped Eddie as soon as his breathing calmed down enough for him to get the three words out.

At this Stan stopped. For as long as he has known Eddie he has avoided dating, well, avoided people. Stan was pretty sure he was Eddie's only friend. In fact he had only ever seen Eddie leave his dorm to go to class. Whenever Stan tried to ask Eddie about it it sent him into an asthma attack and Stan never got a straight answer. He knew Eddia's mom wouldn't let him live in an off campus apartment, which is why they were in a dorm as juniors in college. But, Stan wasn't sure just how strict she was, and didn't want to push Eddie to any further breaking points.

"Do you, maybe, wanna talk about them?" Stan asked gently, wanting to give Eddie a chance to talk but not wanting to scare the poor boy.

"He was tall, not too tall, but tall. And he had curly black hair that kinda fell in his eye but his glasses were in the way, and he had this incredible dog with him, and he…" Eddie was about to continue before he was interrupted by Stanley.

"Wait, you said he," Stan said, not in total shock, as since he grown up with the boy Stanley had known he was a little more feminine than most, but finally hearing the words out of Eddies mouth made relief rush through him. Stan was already in a relationship with a man, and had always been worried about how Eddie felt about him seeing Bill. Especially with his mother and her overbearing opinions on the matter. Now thought, Eddie was opening up. Thank god for that, "did I hear you right?"

"Oh um, yeah, I guess you did." Eddie mumbled turning a ferocious shade of pink. "Please, just, please don't tell my mom I like guys. You're the only one I've told and I didn't even mean to tell you right now but I just met richie and, he was so sweet."

"Edward Kasprak, how long have I known you, nothing you say or do is going to stop me from being your friend, and you already know I'm seeing a guy right now, and wait. Did you say Richie?" Stan lost his train of thought trying to remember where he heard the name from.

"Um, yeah?" Eddie said meekly, worried about what Stan was about to say. All while Stan's mind was racing, thinking how this could not be the same Richie he was thinking of. Not the same Richie who had introduced him and Bill, that wouldn't be right. Why on earth would sweet innocent little Eddie be this flustered over that trashmouthed heathen.

"It's not Richie Tozier by chance," Stan said, praying it wasn't, " is it?"

Eddie's face lit up at his name, "Yeah! Do you know him? I'd love to see him, i mean his dog, again." He said. Stan frowned slightly, and stood up.

"You'll have to excuse me Eddie, I just realized I have somewhere else to be." Stan then headed for the door.

" wait, Stan! I haven't finished telling you about... "

But, Stan was already out the door. He had a phone call he needed to make, and then he had an ass to kick.


End file.
